


Every New Beginning Comes from Some Other Beginning's End

by mcgarrygirl78



Series: When Happily Ever After Fails Universe [4]
Category: Criminal Minds
Genre: Alternate Universe, Family, Friendship, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-12-21
Updated: 2011-12-21
Packaged: 2017-10-27 15:43:40
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,900
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/297445
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mcgarrygirl78/pseuds/mcgarrygirl78
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>“I was talking about the fun part of marriage.  The sexy times…that’s what Sam calls them.”</p>
            </blockquote>





	Every New Beginning Comes from Some Other Beginning's End

**Author's Note:**

> This story is written in the When Happily Ever After Fails universe. I struggled a bit with the Emily/Jason conversation. I know how they feel and what they say in my head but it’s not always easy to translate on paper. The title comes from the Semisonic song, Closing Time. Also, Bruce Davison has always been in my head since the moment I thought of Gregory Prentiss.

Erin was trying to figure out which outfit to wear when her cell phone rang. She thought it was her fiancée but when she looked at the display she was surprised to see another name.

“Hello.”

“Hey Erin, it’s your brother.”

“I know that…this cell phone displays a name if you're in my phone book. How are you?”

They hadn't talked for a couple of weeks. That was unusual, though Gregory didn’t always remember to call his daughter; he called his twin sister once a week. They didn’t have the long, rambling conversations like they used to back in the day, but he always called. They were all each other had. Both of their parents were gone now.

Even growing up on Philadelphia’s Main Line, Barrington and Julia Prentiss weren't exactly the most attentive parents on the planet. There were nannies, nurses, tutors, and instructors. The Prentiss twins always said it was a good thing they came into the world together. There was no real competition for parental love; Greg was a boy and Erin was a girl. They both excelled in their studies at the exclusive Shipley School. Gregory played baseball, Erin fenced, and they were both successful members of the debate team.

They were popular and blonde and beautiful. Then he met Elizabeth while at Harvard and the twins’ relationship changed completely. She was like a more demanding version of their mother. Erin didn’t know someone could challenge Julia Prentiss in the demanding department.

Boy was she wrong. She still had no idea how Greg fell for her. He was more like their mild-mannered father than Erin ever realized. Their mother drove the poor man mad. Erin didn’t want that to be her brother’s fate.

“I'm alright.” Gregory said. “I need to talk to you about something important. Are you busy?”

“I'm just trying to pick an outfit for this dinner party tomorrow evening. I'm driving straight from work so I have to take it with me. Do you think I should wear the purple sweater dress with the black belt or the red classic Halston pantsuit?”

“Are you seriously asking me, Erin? I just throw on a suit and tie.”

“You always look so handsome.” Erin replied.

“That’s genes…and luck. It’s not because I know anything about designers or clothes.”

“Well I'm sure you didn’t want to talk to me about that. What’s up little brother?”

“I'm not that much littler.” Gregory smirked. “I've been taller than you since we were nine.”

“I'm four minutes older; don’t you forget it. What’s going on?”

“Something’s happening and I'm not exactly sure how to tell you. I just want to come out and say it but it seems as if it’s harder than I originally thought.”

“You can tell me anything and know I have your back. No matter what Gregory, I’ll always support you. Is it serious?”

“Yes.” Gregory said.

Erin felt her stomach drop. It could be a million things but her heart and head immediately went to worse case scenario. Cancer? Heart disease? She had no idea and really wanted to stop guessing.

“Just tell me; I think I can handle it.”

“Elizabeth and I are getting a divorce.” Gregory said.

“What?”

“Elizabeth and I are getting a divorce, Erin.”

“Hold on for just a minute, Greg. Don’t go anywhere, just hold on.”

Erin put the phone down and began to dance. She didn’t exactly want to sing Ding Dong the Witch is Dead but the thought crossed her mind. This was good news, bad news too, but Gregory needed to be free. Erin would use this conversation to assess the damage.

She picked up the phone again after one last shimmy. She wasn’t celebrating her brother’s unhappiness; she was celebrating Elizabeth being out of his life. This was better for all parties involved. While that didn’t mean they were rid of her forever it was still something.

“I'm back. What happened?” she asked.

“She said she didn’t want to be married to me anymore. She said she saw her future beyond this and it wasn’t with me. She doesn’t love me anymore and doesn’t think I have her best interest at heart. All of that may be true.”

“Still, I'm sure it hurts.”

“No, it doesn’t. As with everything, Elizabeth just did something when I couldn’t. I don’t love her anymore, Erin; I haven’t for a long time.”

“Then why did you stay married?”

“I didn’t have the strength to leave. God, that’s a ridiculous answer isn’t it? The woman drained me of my strength so I didn’t even have enough to leave her. I guess that was OK until she was ready to walk away. I don’t blame Elizabeth for this…she's not the bad guy.”

“To hell she isn’t.” Erin replied, sitting on her bed.

“I let her run the show; I gave her that power. It’s the same thing that Dad did with Mother. He made me swear you know.” Gregory sighed. “He made me swear never to give up my power and I couldn’t keep that promise to him. It doesn’t even matter anymore. We’ve been married for almost 20 years and now its over.”

“What are you going to do?”

“I'm going to divorce Elizabeth and we’ll both move on with our lives. I've met someone.”

“Whoa, that was fast.” Erin said.

“I've known her for a while and…”

“Oh my God, Gregory, were you having an affair?”

“No.”

He said it too fast for Erin. Of course her brother had never lied to her in his life. He told other people what they wanted to hear when they wanted to hear it but he didn’t play that game with her. Gregory always told the truth, even when it made him look bad. There had to be someone in the world who knew you, warts and all. For Gregory Prentiss that had always been his twin.

“Are you sure?” it was the only way for Erin to ask the question.

“I was never physically unfaithful to Elizabeth.” He said. “But if I'm honest with myself, I have been having an emotional affair for almost a year.”

“Those can be even more dangerous. While physical lust surely wanes, when you fall for what someone is inside its much more difficult to shake.”

“I wasn’t trying to shaking this.”

“Who is she?” Erin asked.

“Her name is Natalie Carmichael and we work together at the State Department. I'm in love with her, Erin. I tried everything I could not to be and nothing worked. She knew I was married and we've been nothing but friends. I've been in love with her for some time and kept it to myself. I think she's in love with me too.”

“You haven’t talked about it?”

“If she thinks she's the cause of my marriage ending I'm sure she will reject me. I would probably reject me too.”

“She has nothing to do with Elizabeth’s decision.”

“I know that.” Gregory said. “I'm going to tell her soon but I wanted to talk to you first. I needed to talk to someone.”

“What’s she like, Greg?”

It had been a long time since Erin heard her brother gush about anything the way he did Natalie Carmichael. In his early days with Elizabeth he talked about her all the time as well. He’d barely gotten four sentences out about the new woman in his life when Erin was sure he was in love. Gregory didn’t even say anything about her looks. That must've been secondary to all the other supposedly wonderful things about her.

Erin would trust but verify…her brother’s judgment of women had never been stellar. Before Elizabeth it was just a string of ridiculous debutantes from the moment he started dating. Yes, Gregory Prentiss was from a very wealthy family but he was so laidback and regular. The women he seemed to want in his life thought words like that were sinful.

Their mother’s influence seemed to cause more damage than he would ever admit. Of course, Erin couldn’t call the kettle black…she had shades of Julia as well. All the wrong shades as far as she was concerned. Perhaps she was too hard on herself. Some would say that; she probably wouldn’t.

“I want to be with her all the time, Erin. I want to be with her right now. Too bad she’s in Dubai on assignment. She’s coming home next week. Maybe I should wait until we’re face to face to tell her about the divorce.”

“That might be better if you want to gauge her reaction. Anyway, that’s not something you tell someone over the phone.”

“I'm telling you over the phone.” Gregory reasoned.

“Yes, but I'm your sister. I'm not the woman you love.”

“I really do love her.”

“I haven’t heard you sound so alive in…I don’t know how long. I want this happiness for you, Greg.”

“Do you think I could come to Cambridge for a few days?” He asked. “I thought I would fly in Thursday evening and stay until Sunday afternoon or Monday morning. I want to see Emily and talk to her about what's happening.”

It was the first time that Erin thought about Emily. She didn’t know if the teenager would give a damn about the dissolution of her parents’ marriage. Emily just didn’t know them and none of that was her fault. As much as Erin cared for her brother, he dropped the ball on fatherhood.

Their father was probably spinning in his grave. Barrington tried at least. He didn’t always succeed but at least he opened his heart and door to his children. He didn’t always know what to say or do when they came in, but it was open. While Gregory had been better than Elizabeth over the years, it wasn’t by much.

“Of course you can come. I don't know what Emily’s plans are but I’ll make sure she has some time for you.”

“Am I going to be able to fix this?” Gregory asked. “I don't know if I'm going to be able to fix this and I don’t have anyone to blame but myself.”

“I think you two could have a wonderful relationship. You just have a lot of hard work ahead of you.”

“I'm a hard worker…that’s not a problem. I just hope she can forgive me.”

“Just be who you really are, Greg.” Erin replied. “There's no way that Emily can't love you.”

“Thank you. Hey, give me some good news. It’s been a trying couple of weeks and I need to hear something that makes me smile.”

“Well…I'm getting married.”

“What!” Gregory exclaimed. “You're getting married? Erin, I didn’t even know you were seeing anyone. You're not rushing into anything are you? Please, don’t rush into something.”

“No, Greg, this has been a long time coming. It’s David Rossi.”

“Isn't he the FBI agent who worked on Emily’s case?” he asked.

“He’s more than that. A decade ago, after Eli walked out on me, David and I met in DC. We were getting serious when you and Elizabeth asked me to look after Emily.”

“You…you walked away from love to do that for us?”

“Family is important.” Erin said.

“Erin…”

“David came to Cambridge to work the case because he knew I lived here.” She cut him off. It was the past, no need to rehash it now. “We've been back together since October and he proposed on Valentine’s Day.”

“Wow, it looks as if big changes are coming for both of us. When is the wedding?”

“Well, it’s going to be a long engagement. Emily wants to remain here for high school and be close to her friends and support system. I will support her in everything she wants to do. So right now it’s looking like a September 2003 wedding.”

“That’s so far away.” her bother said.

“We’re together.” Erin said. “That’s all that matters to me.”

“We really must be twins because I feel exactly the same way. Damn, I'm so happy for you.”

“I'm happy for you too, Greg. We all need to be a family again…its time. I'm not trying to exclude Elizabeth but dammit I miss my brother and Emily probably misses her dad.”

“I don’t expect to run into open arms. I’ll earn it back, from the both of you, I promise.”

Erin believed him. Big changes were coming in their lives. It would take some adjusting and definitely compromise. But they needed to be a family again, and Erin was sure she wasn’t the only one who felt that way.

***

“I don’t know if I told you about my recent library project.” Emily said.

“Nope. Is it for school?” Jason asked.

Emily was curled in bed talking on the phone. She and Jason usually talked about once a month and this time he called her. She had no qualms about brushing aside her Latin workbook to speak with him. She’d missed him terribly though Emily would never tell him that. She was also just as sure that he knew.

“No, it was just something I was curious about. I couldn’t find anything on the subject so I asked Mrs. Clemmons for help. We did an exhaustive search and came up empty handed. Finally, in frustration I just went to Google and voila…found it.”

“That’s quite a journey. What were you looking for?”

“An old Russian folktale.” Emily replied.

“Really?”

“Mmm hmm. You didn’t tell me the whole story.”

“What part did I leave out?” Jason asked.

“The part where the king is so enamored with Katya’s cleverness that he moves her into the castle. He made her his queen as soon as she was old enough.”

“Yes, I believe that did happen in the story.”

“So…”

“So what?’ Jason almost laughed but remained firm.

“When will you make me your queen?” Emily asked.

“It’s just a story, Emily.”

“But I am your Katya.”

“Yes, you are. You're a wonderful, beautiful young woman; there is no shortage of young men clamoring for your attention. I'm old and tired…you don’t want me.”

“How do you know what I want?” she asked. “Have you profiled me?”

“I know because you have never been shy about telling me what's on your mind.”

“200 years ago I would be married and with child by now, Jason.”

“Yes, and you'd also be through about one-third of your life.” He replied.

“Seriously?”

“The average lifespan for a woman from 1800-1850 was about 42 years. Many women died in childbirth.”

“Pleasant.” Emily turned up her nose.

“You started it.”

“But I was talking about the fun part.”

“What fun part?” Jason asked.

“I was talking about the fun part of marriage. The sexy times…that’s what Sam calls them. He blushes every time I make him say it.”

“Stop making him say it then. And we don’t need to have that conversation.”

“Why not?” Emily asked.

“It’s inappropriate.”

“No one can hear you but me.”

“Tell me how you're doing in school.” Jason said. He was driving; Emily didn’t even have her license yet. He was driving and the last thing he needed was to let the car go straight into the gutter.

“It’s OK. I have a Latin test on Thursday but I ready. Its volleyball week in gym and Coach Haas thinks I have the potential to try out for the team. I'm not a Sporty Spice type…I'm more Posh. I loathe geometry but I got a study buddy so it’s bearable. School is school.”

“And what else have you been up to other than researching Russian folktales?”

“I've been doing regular old stuff. I ride around with Ian, hang with my friends, and go to therapy every week. I'm just a small town girl, living in a lonely world, Jason.”

“Don’t stop believing.” He replied.

Emily laughed. “It’s been raining here on and off for like a week and it’s driving me nuts. I love rain but it’s a little too much right now and…oh my God, did you know Dave proposed to Aunt Erin? He flew all the way from DC to do it. I was floored when he just showed up at the door. I usually don’t care for such romantic overtures but it was nice.”

“I knew he was going to ask Erin to marry him.” Jason said. “I didn’t know he was planning a trip to Oregon. But Dave Rossi has always been a go big or go home kinda guy. A proposal is always done better face to face.”

“Are you a romantic, Jason?” Emily asked.

“Yes I am.”

“I knew it.” she smiled.

“Then why did you ask?”

“Well it’s nice to know things but sometimes you just want confirmation from the horse’s mouth. I miss you.”

“I miss you too Katya.”

“Do you mean it or do you say things to appease me?”

“I'm not that kind of person. I don’t say things to appease people. I like when I'm told the truth so I always try to tell it.”

“How much do you miss me?” she asked.

“There's a strong possibility you could be the death of me.” Jason replied laughing.

He could admit to himself that no one made him laugh like Emily. Jason Gideon closed off his heart and soul a long time ago. He wasn’t a cold man though, as some people thought. He was passionate, deeply passionate about people, learning, thinking, so many things in the world.

Decades in the FBI taught him that the fastest way to a nervous breakdown was to wrap those emotions around the brutal cases they worked. To save himself from becoming a cautionary tale, Jason slowly started closing doors, windows, and gateways. This was especially so after his wife passed away. While he was an excellent and revered profiler, whatever personal life he could’ve had didn’t exist.

He never intended to be drawn to Emily Prentiss. On the surface they surely didn’t have anything in common. She was a 15 year old small town girl, despite her pedigree. He was nearly 50. She had her whole life ahead of her and he did not.

She flirted mercilessly, and was good at it; he always tried to steer her away from the innuendo. Emily was one of a kind. That’s all Jason could say. He was not sexually attracted to her…the thought of taking advantage of her turned his stomach.

But he was emotionally attached to her. There was something deeper between the two of them and it continued to grow. It wasn’t something that Jason could easily explain or communicate. He wasn’t going to master this like so many other things in his life. Nothing about his Katya was easy.

“Why shouldn’t death be as fun as life?” Emily asked.

“It probably should be…I can concede that point.”

“So…”

“Emily, you're 15 years old. You do realize that if anything illicit happened between us that I would go to jail?”

“Define illicit?” Emily asked.

Jason laughed. He probably needed to end this conversation. The fact that he didn’t want to probably meant he should.

“I need to get going; it’s getting late here.”

“Oh, OK.”

“We’ll talk in a couple of weeks I'm sure.”

“Yeah I know. You probably shouldn’t indulge me as much as you do anyway.”

“I’ll be the judge of how much I indulge you.” Jason replied. “I don’t talk to you anymore than my other friends.”

He only had a handful of friends anyway. It was hard to let people in, to let them see and go deeper.

“I wish I talked to you more than some of my friends. I won't always be 15, Jason.”

“No, you won't.”

“When I'm a woman you won't get away.” she said.

“I believe you.”

“Goodnight.”

“Goodnight, Katya. Sweet dreams.”

Emily hung up the phone, threw the pillow over her head, and screamed. While she wanted to think she was slowly breaking him down, making him hers, she knew the man had an iron will. It was so strange because if some regular old 47 year old man off the street came on to her, Emily would probably spray him with mace. This was especially so after what happened to her last summer. But Jason wasn’t some dirty old perv; he wasn’t Stephen Baleman. He was handsome, brilliant, witty, quiet, soulful, introspective…he was everything.

She was just too damn young right now. Emily was well aware of that no matter how far she pushed the envelope. Jason was never, ever going to break the taboo and she loved him even more for that. A lot of men, lots of people, used people’s love for them to achieve their wants. It was a powerful thing, being the object of someone’s affection.

It was a power abused by so many. Someday though, Emily would be a woman. When that happened it was as good as over. He would surrender; she planned to give him little choice. Emily had a feeling somewhere deep down that he’d want to as much as she did. Damn, she loved him. And love fuckin sucked.

“Em?”

“Hmm?” the pillow was still over her head.

“I was knocking; you didn’t hear me.” Erin came into her room. “What's with the pillow?”

“Nothing.” She pulled it away. “Love sucks, Aunt Erin.”

“Sometimes it certainly does. Are you alright?”

“I'm alright. What's up?”

“Your dad wants to come and visit at the end of the week. He wants to talk to you about some things.”

“What things?” Emily asked.

“I think it would be better for you two to have that conversation, sweetie.”

“Oh God, he’s not dying is he?”

“No,” Erin shook his head. “He's not dying.”

“OK. Well sure, I don’t mind if he comes this weekend. Mother isn’t coming, is she?”

“No.”

“Then its fine.”

“Great. Is all of your homework done?”

“I have a couple more pages in my Latin study book. I’ll do them before bed.”

“Alright. I'm going to get some tea and do a little work before turning in. Knock if you need me.”

“I will.”

Erin left, leaving the door ajar. Emily was so not in the mood for homework. It was just after eight, which meant it was late where Jason was. She couldn’t call Jordan; her parents didn’t let her talk on the phone after eight. Sam and Hotch were probably knee deep in homework like the good school boys they were. Ian was in Portland tonight but they had plans for the weekend.

Oh crap, she hoped her dad coming didn’t ruin her plans. Aunt Erin was probably looking for any excuse to make her cancel. But Ian had gone through hell and high water to score tickets to a very intimate concert Steve Perry was doing in Portland. Emily was going to be there. She even told Aunt Erin the truth about where she was going.

Having little other choice, she got out of bed, went back over to her desk and her Latin book. She may as well do the work and then get some sleep. It had been a long day; the rain was making her tired. At least Emily knew that she’d have sweet dreams when the time came. Jason willed it to be.

***


End file.
